Introduction to the Philosophy of Saint Augustine
All of this may suggest that perhaps this treatise should not be included in a topic on the Existence of God. It is also true that no attempt here is made toward a formal demonstration of God's existence. In a letter (#4162) written to Evodius (circa 414) Augustine declares that if Evodius would read this book on religion, he would not think that reason could ever prove God's existence. However, the treatise is valuable in reference to this problem principally because it contains a very marked anticipation of the basic argument of Freedom of the Will that it is necessary to advance in reason from the temporal to the eternal and that there exists a standard of truth higher than our minds, a truth that is immutable and eternal. Freedom of the Will develops this argument in more detail and establishes a more explicit identification of such truth with God.
Freedom of the Will is a dialogue divided into three books. It was begun at Rome in 388 and not completed until the end of 395. The dialogue is principally devoted to the problems of the freedom of the will and the origin of evil or sin. It appears to be the outgrowth of a conversation between Augustine and his friend
Evodius on the origins of evil. In the course of their conversation the question of the existence of God is raised and the selection from Book II presents the only explicit attempt on the part of Augustine to prove God's existence. The demonstration is neither effective nor adequate and was rejected by Thomas Aquinas * who questioned the validity of the inference from the existence of the eternal and immutable truths known by man to the existence of God as Truth itself. As Aquinas stated his objection: "The existence of truth in general is self-evident, but the existence of a Primal Truth is not self-evident to us." (Summa Theologiae, I.-1., Q. 2. a. i, -ad."3)
HE TRUE RELIGION *k CHAPTER 24:45. The treatment of the soul, which God's providence and ineffable loving-kindness administers, is most beautiful in its steps and stages. There are two different methods, authority and reason. Authority demands belief and prepares man for reason. Reason leads to understanding and knowledge. But reason is not entirely absent from authority, for we have got to consider whom we have to believe, and the highest
His knowledge of the argument was derived from Anselm.